


For Worse Or For Better

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Kissing, Past Relationship(s), Reconciliation, Reunions, Songfic, falling back in love, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 05:37:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12550336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: Loosely based on Taylor Swift's "How You Get the Girl" John Smith comes to visit the girl who he wants to spend forever with, and almost didn't get to.





	For Worse Or For Better

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something to tide you all over until the Victorian AU comes out this week :) enjoy!

Rose liked the rain. It was the perfect excuse to curl up with a book or in front of the telly and sip an absolutely steaming cup of tea. She enjoyed moments like this, since she lived alone and was able to keep quiet and cancel her plans under the pretense that she didn’t want to drive in the big storm.

It was on such a night, that she was curled up in her pajamas and under a load of blankets and pillows, tea mug in her hand as she watched some chat show.  She was relaxing, feeling more relaxed, in fact, than she could remember feeling in a very long time. 

She was still thinking about her ex, which was quite possibly, the part about herself that she hated the most.  He had decided to leave, after all, and since it was to pursue his education she encouraged him, but she also didn't’ want a long distance relationship, and as time went on, things got more strained between them, mostly because they missed each other.  So Rose had broke it off, crying to him over the phone, wishing that things were different, wishing that they could stay together.  

She had been miserable, and had dated a rebound that she wasn’t at all proud of. She wished that everything had turned out in her favor, of course, but Rose was no stranger to things not happening as she planned. 

As a result, she’d been alone for six months without so much as looking at another man.  It was a thought she couldn’t bear, not if John was still out there.

Though deep in her heart she knew that he was so good looking and brilliant and kind that he probably had a line of girls looking to take her place once the two of them broke up. It hurt her, immensely, the idea of him with someone else, but what was she to do about it?  She loved being with him, had loved every moment they spent together. 

But it was hard.  To be apart from someone who was certainly her other half.  It hurt her in ways she didn’t want to admit or even acknowledge to herself, and she didn’t like missing him so much, but she did.  She still did.  And they were brilliant together, it was difficult to forget that.  

She shook herself from her painful thoughts and focused back in on the show, not wanting to have to deal with this anymore, any of her real life emotions. They hurt too much, and she wondered if she was better off without them.

A knock at her door startled her several minutes later, and she looked out her window. It was still pouring down rain, and as though realizing Rose was looking, thunder rumbled and lightning struck, making her jump.  

Wondering if the person outside her door was one of her friends, coming back drunk from the bar, she got to her feet, drawing her zippered hoodie closed over her vest top, and walked to the door of her flat.  She opened it a little and was surprised to see the very object of her thoughts standing there, hair flattened on his head from the rain, his body shaking with the cold.  He had a coat on but it didn’t seem that it was doing anything to help him, seeing as he was soaked down to the bone. 

“John?” She knew the surprise showed in her voice, but she didn’t really mind. Of course she was going to be surprised!  The man worked in Scotland, so he wasn’t even in England anymore.  How could he even be here?

“Hello.” He said, his fists clenched next to him.

“Hello,” She said cautiously, afraid to open the door any further.

“Um, I wanted to come and see you. I should have called first.”

“Perhaps,” Rose said, frowning.  “Did you need something?”

“Can I come in?” He asked, teeth chattering, “I needed to talk to you.”

She nodded, opening the door and let him in.  “Give me your coat,” She said, “I’ll hang it up in the bathroom so it can dry.”

She felt incredibly uncomfortable, not sure what to do.  She would be lying if she said this situation never occurred to her, but she never thought that it would actually happen.  He stood in her entryway, dripping all over her floor, and she turned back to him, still holding his coat. 

“Um.  I think I still have a set of your pajamas, if you want them.”

“Yes please,” He said softly, watching her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would be raining.”

She blinked at him. She had no idea what was going on.  She hung up his coat and fetched the pajamas she had of his.  She wasn’t even sure why she had them, but it seemed to be coming in handy now.  

She handed him the pajamas. “Just leave your clothes in the bathroom,” She said, “I can’t go down to the washer and dryer right now.”

“Of course not,” he said, shifting a little, his shoes squeaking. He kicked them off and headed to the bathroom.  She felt an odd stutter in her heart when she realized she hadn’t had to remind him where the bathroom was. She locked the door behind him, not wanting any more strange visitors.  She paced through her living room, wishing that she knew what was going on so she could stop feeling so nervous.  She heard her bathroom door open and froze, turning to look at him. 

He was wearing his old pajamas, his hair pushed back but still a bit damp, and his feet were bare. He looked very tired.  

“You- You came from Scotland?” She asked, wringing her hands.  “All the way from Scotland?”

He nodded.  “I needed to see you, and I”ve been planning this for awhile, if I’m honest.”

“Why?” She asked him, “We haven’t talked in… What, seven months?”

“Seven months and three days,” he said, looking her in the eye, his eyes filled with emotions that she was afraid to name.

“Oh, you.. You counted.”

“I never stopped, since you… Since you called me. I wanted to call, I wanted to come see you, but I thought you might be mad at me,” he said, “I know I wasn’t what you wanted-”

“What? John, you were exactly what I wanted.  You were just so far, and I was insecure, and-” She shook her head, “I know you don’t realize it, John, but women were after you at every turn, and when I couldn’t be there, I didn’t know what to do.  I knew that you and I were.. Fine, but I could never see you, and I was always afraid that you would realize that you could be doing better than me.”  
His eyes widened. “Rose… No.  Rose, I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have, or, er, had, I suppose, and if you really want to know, I still haven't.  It wasn’t like there weren’t girls that tried to get a hold of me, but I couldn’t.  I needed you.  I still do, and that’s why I’ve come to see you.”

She felt tears brimming in her eyes, unbidden. “What?”

“I… I miss you, desperately.  So much.  And I need to have you with me, so I’ve accepted a job back here in London.”

“But you came from Scotland, to come here,” she said, her voice a little watery as tears coursed down her cheeks.  

John walked forwards and cupped her cheek in one hand. “Rose, I’m not moving back for another two weeks, but I couldn’t wait. I needed to make sure that you were still here, that you still- though maybe you don’t- Maybe I’ve done something wrong,” he looked away from her. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come, you probably have a boyfriend by now, and I-”

“No,” She said, holding his hand where it was, keeping him close. “I don’t have a boyfriend.  Haven’t… Not since- I dated one guy, just for a little bit, and I regretted it, because he wasn’t you.”

John searched her eyes. “Can I tell you what I came here to say?” He asked softly.

She nodded. ‘Yeah,” She said, as thunder rolled behind them.  “Tell me.” 

“I want you.  I want you no matter what happens to us, whether it’s bad or it’s good, I want to be with you, and I want you to want to be with me.  I want to be here for you when you’re upset, when you’re sad,” he shifted closer to her and framed her face with his palms. “When I heard you cry over the phone, all I wanted to do was call you back, but I couldn’t, because I knew you wouldn’t want to hear from me so soon.  All I’ve ever wanted was to hold you, since everything happened.”  He let out a shuddering sigh.  “I love you, and I have never stopped loving you.  And I chose the job in London so I could come home to you.”  
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. 

“I love you,” he said again, whispering into her hair, his own voice choked. “I don’t want to be without you,” he said, “Please don’t make me be without you.” 

She shook her head. “Will you stay this time?” She pulled back and looked him in the eye.  “If we’re going to build a life together, I want us to have it.  I don’t want two weeks without you, three days with you, and then a month and a half without you.  I want you to be here because you want to be.  When I travel, I want it to be with you, and the other way around.”

“We are going to be brilliant,” John promised. “We’re going to be together and we’re gonna be fantastic and we’ll travel forever, and make a brilliant life.  I thought I didn’t want to stay still, Rose, but I’ll go anywhere as long as it’s with you.”

“I won’t tie you down.”

“You  _ aren’t,”  _ he shook his head. “I want to be with you.  This job here in London, it actually is what I want.  And if I can have you and the job that I’ve always wanted, that would be the most brilliant thing that I could ever be a part of.”

“We’ll travel? Like we always said?”

“We’ll go all over the world,’ he said, “I just don't’ want to do it alone.  I love you so much.”

She realized that he’d said it three times now and she hadn’t said it back. “I love you too,” She whispered, “I always have.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “Thank God,” he breathed, “I was so afraid that you wouldn’t.”

“And you came anyway?” Rose asked, a little puzzled.

He nodded. “I had to. I  _ had  _ to.  I needed to see you, even if you didn’t want me, I needed to be sure, to see you.  You are my favorite person in the universe, and I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d said no, but I would have been dreadfully upset.”

She smiled and reached up, running her hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” he shook his head. “Can I kiss you? Please, Rose.”

“Yes.”

He leaned down and kissed her, that kiss full of so much love, so much tenderness that she hadn’t experienced since she had called him all those months ago and broke things off.  She let him kiss her exactly how he liked, his hands curling into her hoodie as he kissed her slowly, carefully, drawing her close against him.

After what felt like forever and not enough time at all, he pulled back from her, pressing his forehead to hers. 

“How long will you stay?” Rose asked him softly, still feeling only slightly unsure.

“Forever and ever,” he promised, pressing another kiss to her nose and then her lips.  “I promise.”

“Forever,” she whispered back.

“Also, could I stay here tonight?” He asked softly, a little timidly, “I forgot to book a hotel, I was… I was just very interested in seeing you first.”

She laughed and kissed him again. “You can stay every night.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”


End file.
